Contributors

Katie is a Master's student in the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs and Program on Climate Change at the University of Washington. She is currently researching zooplankton sensitivity to ocean acidification, and is passionate about bridging the gap between scientists and policy-makers. When she's not in the lab or attending some scicomm workshop, you'll find her backpacking in the Olympic mountains, beachcombing in Seattle, or catching up with friends at a local coffee shop.

Uyen is an M.Sc. student at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. She likes to be called “Oo-in” instead of “Yu-en”. Using high-dimensional flow cytometry, Uyen looks at how physical exercise affects immune composition in bone marrow recipients. In her free time, she runs, watches comedies, reads biographies, and eats chocolate-coated pretzels (usually not all at once).

Clara is a journalism student at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. She holds a BSc in Anatomy & Cell Biology from McGill University, and an MSc in Global Health from Maastricht University. She loves learning about everything from neuroscience to oceanography, and enjoys playing the guitar and running in her free time.

Emma recently graduated from McGill University with an MSc. in Experimental Medicine, studying how cancer metabolism contributes to drug resistance in breast cancer. She now works as a Medical Writer in Montreal and is happy that she spends her day creating interesting learning materials instead of pipetting at a lab bench. Emma has many other passions and tries to do as much rock-climbing, wandering in parks, and reading as possible.

Erik is a PhD student in neuroscience at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. His research involves studying how neurons integrate and process information through synapses. In his free time he enjoys playing soccer and pub trivia.

Wyatt is an M.Sc. student at McGill University studying the factors that constrain behavioural flexibility in organisms. He splits his research with work in the tropics and work in the lab. Some of his other interests include music, video editing, and photography.

Simon is an ESL and psychology/philosophy teacher in Vienna, Austria, a gamer across all media and loves curiosity in its many manifestations. He thinks communicating science is as important inside the classroom as it is outside and was therefore immediately drawn to Useful Science. When he's not hunched over classwork, a game board, his computer or a book/newspaper, he's out taking a walk or eating delicious food.

Caitlin recently started a PhD in Biological and Biomedical Engineering at McGill University in Montreal. She is using neuroimaging to study how brain chemistry and structure change over time in a rat model of Alzheimer’s disease, and if anti-inflammatory treatment can mitigate these disease-related changes. She is not yet jaded by the world of academia and is keen to expand her horizons by learning about (and concisely communicating!) as much scientific research as possible.

Steve is an aspiring doctor studying at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. While working towards being a physician, Steve’s passion is teaching and has taught science both formally and informally for years for institutions committed to science education. Outside of school, Steve can be found running, strumming tunes on his ukulele, or playing some Nintendo.

Cara Shousterman is an American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) Public Fellow and HI’s Partnerships and Engagement Manager. At HI, Cara is responsible for leveraging external partners and supporting various types stakeholders as they work with Harmony Institute to discover new ways of applying media for social impact. In particular, Her role at HI focuses on the adoption of and new uses for StoryPilot.